Short Break

[Nigen]

In the heart of the Mercenary district of Mac Anu, the door to the @home creaked open. The sun, at its Zenith, blinded Pluton for a moment as he stepped out into the light. Scope kept the lights low and was decorated to look like a war room at high alert, so this wasn't an uncommon thing. Having just finished giving a rousing speech to a new member (Pluton thought he might have gone a bit overboard when he punctuated the phrase "shoot for the sky" by actually firing at the ceiling), he felt his whims drag him into the hub of the delta server for no real reason beyond the pleasantness of walking the streets and seeing the enormous variety of people gathered. That was one of the great things about {The World}: you could see so many different types of people in the same place, all created by their own desires rather than being born and working with that. Dotted about the humans were the beast races, here and there a merchant haggled with an irate customer, all sorts of small points of interest. Pluton drank it all in as he walked about aimlessly.

And the best part is, it's all alive! Constantly moving, growing, changing, thriving! You could walk the same path five times in an hour and it would be totally different with each lap. He thought comfortably as he wandered about the Central region. Eventually, tired after his long stroll, Pluton took a seat on the fountain in the middle, still watching the people walk by, chat, trade and do all the other little things that were part of an online game.

I wonder if there are any interesting targets... There was no real malice in his thoughts, only curiosity. It wasn't often that he wanted to take a break from his hunting and PKing, but even during those little reprieves he tended to watch for people who might be interesting subjects. For the time being, he looked about for likely candidates. There were a few tell tail signs of a serious player. Carefully constructed names were, surprisingly, a great indicator, while general demeanor was another. Searching about the crowd, he didn't just look at most people, he actively stared before locking onto someone else, which unnerved a few of the area's inhabitants. Pluton wondered if today would have better pickings than the last three (while the back-list for Scope was fairly long, surprisingly, there was nothing wrong with keeping a fresh stream of participants for his little games).

[solieus]

Kim had been in Mac Anu to look at the guild shops. She was walking through central region without much particular sense of urgency. Unlike in real life, where she was always tried to do things as efficiently and as fast as possible, she didn't mind lingering here. It was fun to talk to new people, and she enjoyed trading with others as well.

Her sparkling adornments always caught the eyes of many, but she noticed one person in particular who stared longer than even most of the little kids who were just getting used to the HMDs. She shot him a curious look as she walked over to this orange-haired man. He wasn't that tall; in fact she was the same height as him.

You know, it's rude to stare, Kim said in a mock-scolding tone. If you want to keep looking at me you'd better start talking. I'm Kimimela. Howabout you?

[Nigen]

Ah, an attitude! Excellent. People like that are usually more interesting. Pluton thought as he swung back, the heaved forward to get to this feet off the side of the fountain. The action was totally unnecessary but looked kinda cool. His stance was bent ever so slightly to the left, as if the building across the plaza was exerting some subtle gravity that only he seemed inclined to obey.

It's also sometimes a form of flattery, interest, curiosity, annoyance, analysis and a good way to know whether a person is creepy or not. Mine intention was the penultimate one. I'm Pluton, nice to meet you. Even as he was speaking, his eyes were a bit more intense than usual. She'd caught his attention and, with the little bit he could now tell about her personality, he wanted to know more. Perhaps she'd be an interesting participant in one of Scope's games later? A hunting match was always better when someone had guts, as Pluton suspected she did.

Not now, but maybe when we know more than just each others names...

Anyway, I wasn't aiming to be rude, and I never hit what I don't aim for, so sorry to come off that way.

[solieus]

Kimimela smiled at the man in front of her. She figured this man wasn't an absolute creep, but she felt like getting an excuse to meet someone new. Don't worry, I'm no mother and I won't scold you any longer. I'm Kimimela. If you can't pronounce that, than I'm Kim. Nice to meet you, Pluton.
From your reference I'd think you were a steam gunner? Either that or a shadow warlock but it is most likely the former...? She asked curiously. I, myself, am a Macabre Dancer. She said, with a slight cock of the eye and a shift in weight, allowing her dress to shimmer and sparkle whilst it caught the sunlight.
I'm always looking for more contacts for party members, as I can't level up too well on my own because of my class's supportive role. I'd be thrilled if we did some areas sometime, got to know each other's fighting styles. She said, pressing the button on her controller to send her member address.

[Nigen]

Macabre Dancer, huh? Never really saw the appeal. To each his own I guess. Or her own... Whether or not he liked the class itself, he had to admit it was interesting how easily she could catch interest. He caught himself wondering what she looked like in real life (while he supposed it was entirely possible "she" was a guy in reality, the fact that she'd said she wasn't a mom implied otherwise). He was also surprised at how quickly she sent her member address. Most people he met were a bit more reserved about handing over something like that. Well, he had to admire decisive action, and he accepted the prompt to register.

Dead on, Steam Gunner all the way. I'll admit, I haven't gotten many chances to party with a Macabre Dancer. Sammy's the only one I know, and she's a bit shy. Doesn't like to party with me really, just some of the others in Scope. Anyway, if you want to do a few areas to help level up, I'm all for that. We could even do it now, or in a bit. I've got a few friends who'd probably be up for a good dungeon crawl. It wasn't odd for Pluton to find himself working up some excitement for a group match. His break apparently hadn't taken very long, but that was fine. Breaks weren't supposed to be long affairs, they were just breathers between matches.

[solieus]

Kim looked forward to showing this Steam Gunner the skills of a macabre dancer. She was, however, interested in this Scope. A guild, perhaps?

Scope, you said? I assume that's kind of guild? I'd like to know more about it - I have yet to join a single guild... She inquired. She hoped she wasn't too forward, she has been thoroughly bored recently since her couple school friends who played with her online were studying exams right now and she, who was head of her class, needn't study as much. She also wanted to be in a guild, she felt left out and there are many advantages to being in a guild.

But, yes, I wouldn't mind going out for a dungeon crawl sometime. I have dinner in ten minutes so it'd be best if we did it sometime later this evening... She said, her eyes slightly unfocused as she looked at the time and realized she smelled roast underneath the virtual smells of Mc Anu. Her stomach growled, and she hoped that it didn't go through the HMD mike. Snapping back into virtual reality, she smiled at the man in front of her. So, yes, I'd like that. Now tell me about Scope!

[Nigen]

Yup, it's a guild. I founded it a little while after I started playing. I won't lie, some people are kinda offended that we exist, but if you want to know. We're basically a PKing guild. Not the kind that goes after new players mind you, we have strict rules against that. We're a group that believes that most of the time, it's more interesting to go against a creative human player rather than an monster with limited programming. We always shoot for equal or higher levels because targets like that, with a brain behind the code, are the best challenge. We usually set up matches a bunch in Lumina Cloth, so people play what amounts to hide and go seek with weapons. It's a little obsolete with the new additions to the arena, but it'll never be quite the same I think. He tried to get a read on her face, to see what she thinking. Half the time he made this explanation, the person gave him a look of disgust (occasionally a slap), and most of the rest looked a bit awkwardly. To date, only 2 had actually been totally okay with it (both had joined, one was kicked out for improper conduct). He rather wondered what this one's reaction would be.

Some of it's sign up, some of it we do freelance. We don't always make the final blow if the outcome's obvious, things like that. There wasn't the slightest hint of apology or desperation in his voice. He never took shame in what he did (although there wasn't a great deal of pride there really) and he made no excuses. True, there were codes of conduct, both written and implied, within Scope but that wasn't usually important to most people. Still, whatever her reaction, he was glad he got a chance to talk about it. He didn't know if she had any interest, one way or another, but he rarely got bored talking about it.

[solieus]

Kim paused, thinking about this guild. She thought about their goals, and it confused her why such a type of play wouldn't be satisfied in the Arena. She didn't disapprove, though, because they don't prey on the weak they willingly go after challenges. (Kaeson trekkyreference-much? ) She didn't feel like she would be willing to join. As long as he didn't pull any of those shinanigans on her, she wouldn't hold it against him, either. What an interesting idea. Personally, I'm perfectly happy with arena fights and like to leave others be in other areas. I am surprised you have such strict rules and are able to keep members. I won't join your guild, but I'm still willing to party with you if you like, as long as we're allies the whole time She said with a bit of a cock of the eye.